Water-softening apparatus and system



March E3, 1951 H. c. FISCHER WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS AND SYSTEM 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 31, 1947 BRINE NVEIYTOR. Harry 6. Flsc/rerarch 13, 1951 H. c. FISCHER 9 5 WATER SOFTENING APPARATUS AND SYSTEMFiled July 31, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BRINE ,Bama PIm, UP

INVEN TOR. Harry 6'. Fischer Patented Mar. 13 1951 OFF 1 CE 'WATER-SOFTENING APPARATUS :AND SYSTEM Harry 0. Fischer, Plymouth, .Mich.Application July31, 1947, Serial No. "765,025

.9 Claims.

invention-relates to a water-softening apparatus and system.

The invention came about in a search tor a water softener which wouldoperate automatically capable of reacting in'solution, by doubledecomposition, with the salts :of the alkali-and alkali- -earth metals,is used in the softening tank.

This .chemicalreacts with the'minerals of the water to 'be softenedbutthe reaction'mayibereversed and the chemical, zeolite, regenerated bythe addition of common salt, NaCl, thereto.

The apparatus "to be disclosed here 'is'intended tobe passedthrough theregeneration cycle at regular intervals. Novel means have been providedto control the length of such cycle'and to .meter the regenerationsaltsoluti'on'to thesoften- "ing'tank during a very short regenerationperiod which may occur at "a time'whenthe water'system is leastapt'to'ibeused,'usuallyin the middle of the night.

A feature of the invention is'the isolation of working partsfromthebrineisolution anda consequent avoidance of destructivedeterioration due to electrolysis and corrosion.

Another 'feature .of the system is .a separate brine tank which maybeeasily recharged with salt and a novel meanso'f supplyingwaterto thebrine tank to maintain" the liquid level therein.

A further feature lies: in the .simple regeneration circuit of valvesandswitches reduced to "a 'minimum'to efiect four cycle operation.

Additional features of the construction "and "operation of the systemwillbe'evident inthe fol- 'lowing description, and;in the appendedclaims vparts of theapparatus.

Eigurefiis .a smallpartial section on 1ine'3i3 .of Figure2 illustratingone of the adjustable parts lot-the apparatus.

.The various parts of the apparatus will now be described with referenceto the drawings.

A fresh water inlet 26 supplies water through a diaphragm valve 2| to aninlet pipe 22 in a vertically disposed, standard, cylindricaI softeningtank 25. A distributor plate 28 at the bottom of thetankdirects'theincoming Waterfrom pipe 22 radially to the softening tankwhere it may pass upward through th zeolite charge and thence through astrainer .30 to a soft wateroutlet 32.

A brine tank 35 stands vertically adjacent the softening tank and abrine siphon tube 35 leads through a check valve 31 to pipe 22. Tank 25has a bottom 39 and tank 35 has abottom "40. Pipe 3'6 terminates "in aleg -4l located-nearthe bottom f 'the'ta-nk 35. "Thebrine tank has-an-overfiow tube l? *which is provided 'for emergency operation only. Abrine-drain-tube '45 leads from the softwater outlet 32"through apressure-reducing valvel! and-a solenoid valve 50.

Within the brine tank and located above the normal brine*l'iquidjlevelis a brine make-up tank '54. This -make-up -tank- 54 receives 'freshwater from a branch line 56 leading from-the fresh waterinletZ-Gthrougha solenoid actuated valve SU'toa'line'M. FreshWa-terisdumped from the 'make up tank idthrough'a dumping siphon-68. Apipe-ta ispivotally jointedat *10 as shown in Figure?) sothat the lower'end of thepipe'69 may 0 be shifte'd upwardly to-controltthe lower level of 'Watertoremain' in tank'i54 and to control-'thusly the amount of make-up"water dumped into the brinetank.

Valves 50 .and 60 are solenoid operated, controlled electrically by twoswitches, one switch l5 being located in a timing mechanism ,8!) andthe. other switch .85 being located in a switchbox -96. theswitch beingcontrolled by afloat 92 within .the make-up tank .154. The .timer is a24-hour 40 repeat cycle=witha single pole, double throw action.

. A timer. .for;repeatvcyclesaof 4.8,, 72,or 96 hours vmay be .nsed .butthe presentdisclosure will be described with relation ztoc'a fl lehourcycle. Hire ti-merisdriven by a synchronous #110 volt motor. the float'sWitch Bli a is :a single pole, double Ithrow type with a --minim-umoperating differential. Both :sWitc-hes have a closed-up and a---closed- :down position with no neutral position. The ffioat '92 isset to-reverseswitch -85 when tank 56 'is approximately 80%full. Fromthe timing box 813, suitable solenoid circuits are run to valves and 60.Aspring .95 backs up diaphragm 96 'inthe. diaphragm valve i'l.Inpipefifid a restricinto the drain.

4. In a brine make-up position, fresh water is supplied to the brinetank in a metered quantity to restore the liquid level of the brinetank.

It may be helpful to an understanding of the operation of the device topresent a diagram of the relationship of the parts in the various fourpositions. The following table shows this relationship:

4 signed to pass a definite quantity of water at normal pressures.

With the operation of the timer switch the solenoid valve 50 has alsobeen energized to open position. With thi valve open and since no wateris entering tank through the valve 2|, pressure will drop in thesoftener tank to the point Where brine will siphon up in tube 36 throughthe check valve 3'! and down through tube 22 to the distributor 28. Itwill be noted that the brine level in tank is always in such relation tothe drain end of tube e5 that this siphoning action can take place. Thiswill reduce the brine level in tank 35 from a point E to point F. Thebrine reaching the tank 25 will pass up through the gravel at the bottomof the tank and through the zeolite charge where it acts to regeneratethe mineral in the usual manner. Water being displaced from tank 25during this operation may pass through pressure-reducing valve 4? andthe open valve 59 to the siphon drain leg which leads to a .drainopening.

Position of part in cycle Part Service Position, Fig. 1 Brine SiphoningWashing Brine Make-up, Fig. 2

Timer Switch Up Down Up. Float Switch 85.. Dow Up Up Brine Make-up Valve60 Closed (Deenergized). Closed (Deene (1). Open (EnergJ. 7 Brine WashValve 50.. o n Open (Energ.) Closed (Deenerg). Fresh Water Inlet Valve21 Open Olosed Op Closed.

1 Change initiates next position.

In Figure 1 the parts are shown in the 'posiwater has passed throughrestriction 98 and pipe tion which. they take in the service positionwhich will occupy the main portion of the 24- hour day. Water enters thepipe 20 and since there is no pressure behind diaphragm 95 due to thefact that valve Gil is closed, the diaphragm valve will be opened bypressure below the diaphragmto admit water to the feed pipe 22 whichdirects it downwardly to the distributor plate 28. The water passesupwardly through the zeolite mineral where the objectionable mineralstherein are removed in accordance with awell-known chemical reaction,and the soft water may pass out through the strainer 36 to the pipe 32which may lead to the household or other service lines. The strainer 30is provided to prevent suspended mineral from entering the outlet 32.The strainer may be set for operation at this time. Nor-T mally theswitch blade 15 is in the up position. At the appointed time the switchblade 15 will be shifted downwardly by a cam on wheel 8| and a circuitwill be completed through switch in down position to the solenoid valve60 causing it to shift upwardly, thusadmitting water to pipe 64 througha strainer I00. Pressure building up behind restriction 98 willreinforce the action of the spring and cause a closing ofrthe diaphragm96 and the diaphragm valve 2|. This shuts off the city waterfrom thesoftener tank 25. The water that passes through the restriction 98 goesthrough line 64 tothe brine-make-up tank 54 to increase the level fromthe point A to a point B. The restriction 98 is initially de- This brinesiphoning action will continue until 64 to a sufficient degree to raisethe level from the point A to a point B where the iloat 92 is lifted,and the switch 85 is moved from its down position to its up position.This shifting will close the valve fill-by reason of the breaking of thesolenoid circuit and the water behind the valve 68 will be bled throughthe orifice 98, thus reducing the pressure behind the diaphragm valve 2!and causing the valve 21 to be opened by the line pressure below thediaphragm 96. This opening of the .line pressure to'pipe 2 causes asetting of the checkva'lve 31 and thus prevents further siphoning ofbrine to tank 25. Since valve 5!! is still open, water from line 2Gpasses from the distributor 23 up through the softening tank and thezeolite charge to wash the .brine up through the zeolite and downdrainpipe 45 to the drain. The pressure-reducing valve 4'! is providedbetween the tank and the valve 553 to regulate the flow through pipe 55independently of line pressure at 2!); thu variations in line pressurewill not affect the time of the washing and the quantity of water beingpassed through the softening tank during the washing period. For a givenpressure and orifice size, the flow can be timed to wash the brinecompletely from the mineral in 25 minutes. Thisperiod of washing and theother period of brine siphoning may be adjusted, of course, to thevarious installation requirements.

The brine siphoning cycle' is initiated by the timer and the timer isset to return to its original position within a definite period such as30 minutes or &5 minutes so that switch 5 is in closed-up position. Atthis time the float switch 85 is in closed-up position by reason of thewater level in tank 54. The shifting of these switches has caused valve6%, to open and valve'fifl to close. With valve 60 open, diaphragm 2|will again close and water will again flow into tankM-throughrestriction 98. When w'aterfreaches-the lei/e1 6 tank 54, the si hontav'v'illbe cemplete and 'w 11 start to drop water frointanktfl at'a'muchfas'ter rate than it may enter through restriction '98. The water levelin tank 58 will continue todrop until it reaches the point A when "thestench broken. Meanwhile the heat switeh has' retu rned to itsclosed-down position. "This bpera'tion of switch 85 de-energizes valve60 and it'retur'n'sto its closed position, at which time all of fth'eparts are in the service posit-ion once again. "rhewater from tank Mwhich is dropped from siphon 68 has replaced the water level in thebrine tank from F to E again. The apparatus is" thus react for softeningservice for the remainderof a-24- particular location as well as onother variable factors. V

The amount of water transferred from makeup tank 54 to brine tank isregulatedfi'rst by the amount passed by restriction 98 and secondly bythe position'of the lower end of pipe 69. As shown in Figure 3 thisposition may be varied.

I claim: I

1. In a'Water-softening apparatus of thetype havin'ga softening't'an'kand a brine tank, and a supply "pipe to the softening'tank forraw water and a withdrawal pipe for softened water from the softeningtank, an auxiliary tank positioned above the normal liquid level of thebrine tank, means for passing brine to the softening tank in response toreduction in pressure in the softening tank, valve means operatingsimultaneously to reduce pressure in the softening tank and to meterfresh water to the auxiliary tank, means responsive to the liquid levelin the auxiliary tank to interrupt the last means, and means to effectdumping of metered water from the auxiliary tank to the brine tank toreplenish liquid therein.

2. In a water-softening apparatus of the type having a softening tankwith a raw water inlet and service and waste outlets, and a brine tank,an auxiliary tank positioned adjacent the top of the brine tank, meansfor passing brine to the softening tank in response to reduction inpressure in the softening tank, time controlled valve means to close theinlet to the softening tank and open the waste outlet thereto to effectreduction in pressure within the softening tank, timecontrolled valvemeans to meter fresh water to the auxiliary tank, the two valve meansbeing inter-connected whereby fresh water metering occurs only While thesoftening tank inlet is closed, and means responsive to liquid level inthe auxiliary tank to interrupt said fresh-water metering and to dumpwater from the auxiliary tank to the brine tank. p

3. In a water-softening apparatus wherein softening and regeneratingsolution tanks are operatively connected by a flow system, an inlet pipeand an outlet pipe provided for the softening tank, andelectrically-operated valves for control of a regeneration cycle, afresh-water control tank located at the top of the brine tank, meansoperable during a regeneration cycle to This will depend on tank meterfresh water to said control tank, a si hen loop with entrance in saidcontrol tank andcut let leading-to the brine tank, a liquid levelresponsive means in the control tank operatively connected-to theelectrioally opera'ted valves, the siphon loop being located -i"-elativeto the liquid level responsive means wherebywhen the liquid --lev'e1 ishigheno'ug'h to actuate said means it is yet not high enoiigh to fillthe siphon loop, the entrance to the siphon loop within the control tankbeing materially below the liquid level at.

which the responsive means is actuated,

V 4. In a water-softening apparatus of the type ha ing a softening "tankand a brine tank, an auxiliary tank 'positiened in the brine tank, asupplyfpipe to thesof-tening tank, a brine pipe connected to the brineran e pipe to the auxiliar tank restricted to' meter water thereto, adrain pipe connected to the softening tank at the top e di to 'a-dr'a'inpoint below the point of connection-of the brine pipe -to=the brinetank, a control valve in the restricted -'-pipe and a control valve inthe drain pipe each movable independently t'oope'n or closed positions,where: by-openingof the controlv'alves causes bleeding of line pressurefrom the softening tank to effect siphoning of brine to the softeningtank, means for imparting control movement to said control valves inresponse to electrical impulse, and an electrical system associated withsaid means including only two single-pole, double-throw switches, one toinitiate a brine siphoning cycle by opening both of said control valves,and one to initiate a service cycle by closing both control valves, thetwo switches cooperating in "the second'a-nd third stages ofafo'ur-stagecycle to initiate 'aw'a'shin'g stage and *abrine make-up stage of andleading to -a drain point below the en- 7 trance of the brine pipe tothe brine tank, a control valve in the restricted pipe and a controlvalve in the drain pipe each movable independently to open or closedpositions, whereby opening of the control valves causes bleeding of linepressure from the softening tank to effect siphoning of brine to thesoftening tank, and a fourstage electrical cycle for operating aregeneration cycle in said system comprising two electrical actuatingmeans for operating said control valves to open positioneach connectedto one side of a source of electrical power, the pole of the secondbeing connected to one side of one of the actuating means, onethrow-side of each switch being connected together, the other throw-sideof each switch being connected together and to one side of the otheractuating means whereby manipulation of said switches may effect one offour conditions in said control valves: both open, both closed, oneopen, one closed and vice versa.

6. In a water-softening apparatus of the type havinga softening tankwith a raw water inlet at one end, a soft water outlet at the other end,and a waste outlet, and a brine tank, an auxiliary tank positionedadjacent the top of the brine tank, a supply pipe to the softening tank,an outlet to the brine tank and a brine pipe from the brine tank outletto the softening tank, means forming a restricted passage from thesupply pipe to the auxiliary tank to meter water thereto, a drainpassage connected to the waste outlet of the softening tank at the topthereof and leading to a drain point below the outlet of the brine tank,a control valve in the restricted passage and a control valve in thedrain passage each movable to open or closed positions, a normally openvalve in the supply pipe movable to close the supply pipe when thecontrol valve in the restricted passage is open, whereby opening of thecontrol valves causes simultaneous metering of water to the auxiliarytank and bleeding of line pressure from the softening tank to effectsiphoning of brine to the softening tank, means responsive to liquidlevel in the auxiliary tank to cause the control valve in the restrictedpassage to close after a predetermined period of filling, thus openingthe valve in the supply pipe and efiecting washing of the chemical inthe softening tank to the drain through the drain passage, and means todump the water from the auxiliary tank to the brine tank to replenishthe level therein.

7. An apparatus as described in claim 6 in which the dumping means inthe auxiliary tank comprises a siphon with its neck located at dumplevel in the tank and having one leg in the tank and the other legleading to the brine tank.

8. An apparatus as described in claim 6 in which the dumping meansin theauxiliary tank comprises a siphon with its neck located at dump level inthe tank and having one leg in the tank adjustable to varying levelstherein and the other leg leading to the brine tank.

9. The combination in an automatic water treating apparatus having awater treating tank, piping connected to both ends of said treating tankto-provide a water supply pipe, a service pipe, and a waste pipe, andbrine tank, of a valve controlled restricted passage leading from thesupply pipe to the brine tank to furnish replenishment liquid, apressure responsive valve to open and close said supply pipe to thetreating tank, means connecting said valve to said passage whereby, whensaid passage is open to the supply pipe, the pressure responsive valvewill close to cut off pressure within the treating tank, a first passageconnecting the brine tank with the bottom of the treating tank, a secondpassage connecting the top of the treating tank with a drain legextending to a point below the brine tank end of the first passage, acontrol valve in said second passage whereby when said pressureresponsive valve is closed and said control valve is open brine willsiphon from the brine tank to the treating tank.

HARRY C. FISCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,611,422 Duden Dec. 21, 19261,674,717 Eisenhauer June 26, 1928 1,691,862 Thomson et a1 Nov. 13, 19281,913,238 Johnson June 6, 1933 2,003,739 Clark June 4, 1935 2,050,614Kerr Aug. 11, 1936 2,061,797 Eisenhauer Nov. 24, 1936 2,132,312 MooreOct. 4, 1938 2,329,052 Irwin Sept. 7, 1943 2,407,539 Daniels Sept. 10,1946

